The French city of Arles hosts the ninth edition of the festival from July 29 to August 15. Arles Flamenco Festival, an event that, since its inception in 2018, has become one of the main showcases of flamenco in Europe. The event once again features a program that combines renowned artists with representatives of the new generation of artists. jondowhile also maintaining its commitment to equality, diversity and access to culture.
With over 50.000 attendees since its inception—15.000 of them at free events—and the participation of more than 300 artists, the festival has established itself as an international projection platform for the flamenco, bringing together fans, visitors and the general public every summer in some of the city's most emblematic heritage sites.
The program includes concerts, guitar recitals, dance performances, photography and art exhibitions, master classes, and proposals that combine music, poetry, and other performing arts disciplines. The Old Theatre, the Archbishop's Courtyard, the Cour Cachée, the Hôtel Jules César, and various cultural spaces in the city They once again become stages for the festival, integrating the flamenco in the historical heritage of Arles.
The opening of the competition, on July 29, brought together in the Gallery Eight the exhibition of the award winners of II International Flamenco Photography Competition, followed by a free guitar recital by José de la Línea y Jose Lopez in Balechou Square. In the following days, the public was able to attend the maestro's recital. Antonio Carrionto the show Inheritance flamencomother and son, Starring Isabel y José Fernández, as well as the performance of the company of Lucia Ruibal in the courtyard of the Archbishop's Palace.
The exhibition program continued with the show Portraits, by the Mexican artist Gerardo Villarealand with double exposure Camarón and the Island y CCDEF, 34 years of passion, organized in the Julius Caesar Hotel within the twinning between the Festival Flamenco of Arles and the La Isla Flamenco City Festival from San Fernando (Cádiz), in addition to the collaboration with the Spanish Dance Choreography Competition and Flamenco.
«The Festival Flamenco Arles reaffirms its status as one of the main European spaces for the dissemination of flamenco"This initiative fosters encounters between established artists and new generations, and strengthens cultural ties between France and Andalusia through a program that combines creativity, heritage, and international outreach."
One of the great attractions of this ninth edition arrives on August 5th, at the Teatro Antiguo, with the premiere of Eight PalosEight Letters, a creation conceived expressly for this emblematic stage by the flamenco dancer Macarena RamirezThe artist extends her presence at the festival with a flamenco-style performance to be held on Thursday, August 6th at the Hidden Courtwhile the prestigious guitarist Jeronimo Maya He will give an intimate recital on August 7.
On August 9, the Teatro Antiguo will host another of the festival's major events with the show FlamencoRhythm and passionA two-part performance designed to be experienced and shared with the audience. The first part will star... Rosa NegraWhile José Fernández, Frasco Amador and their rumba musicians will take over with a concert of a distinctly festive nature.
The final stretch of the festival will be marked by a tribute to Jose Reyes, patriarch of the Reyes family and a key figure in the origins of the Gipsy KingsThe gala, scheduled for August 13th at the Teatro Antiguo, will bring together musicians from the Reyes family in an original production created specifically for this edition, with the participation of the flamenco dancer. Lucia Benavides in the first part of the evening.
The program will continue on August 14 with the show Nights of Andalusia, in the courtyard of the Archbishop's Palace, with the participation of Lucía Benavides, Gabriel Maias, Leny Creff and Martcho ClaveríaThe festival will conclude on August 15th at La Croisière with Goblin Magic, Starring Léa Delsol, Emilio Cortés and Juan Santiago, followed by an Electro-DJ sessionFlamenco which will bring this edition to a close.
In addition to its summer program, the Arles Flamenco Festival has already announced a new autumn and winter season that will take place between the end of October and the beginning of January 2027, with nine shows planned whose dates will be confirmed soon.
With this new edition, the Festival Flamenco Arles reaffirms its status as one of the main European spaces for the dissemination of flamenco, fostering encounters between established artists and new generations and strengthening cultural ties between France and Andalusia through a program that combines creation, heritage and international projection.
→ See the program for the Arles Flamenco Festival in the Agenda ExpoFlamenco
